SV233 Sound/Stereo upgrade

[byerman 5]

I am looking to upgrade my sound. When I bought the boat, I wasn't too concerned. I bought the stock stereo etc. Now the kids want some tunes while they surf. There are no dedicated marine audio centers but a few RV audio centers that dabble in marine here in Northern Utah. I wouldn't mind doing it myself or getting help from a car audio place. My dealer no longer carries Centurion. Centurion dealer 1.5 hours away has a great reputation but has not communicated well on the few repairs they have done. They have done a nice job but there seems to be wall that stops communication between the front end and the service center (maybe unfair criticism on my part). 

My data: 2014 Centurion SV233, Gladiator Tower, stock Clarion M303 stereo (usb and bluetooth work well), 4-stock speakers (possibly 6 inch?)

Questions:

1. Can an amp simply be plugged into the back of my stereo, mounted, and then run to new tower speakers? What Amp? Where would the power come from? Would my stock speakers still run off of the stereo.

2. People are raving about "Rev 10's" on this site. The videos and comments are fantastic. They look HUGE. They seem so wide. I was hoping to have some that are a bit less physically intrusive (more head room). How would a pair of Rev-8's be on underside, laterally, on the gladiator tower? Would they fit on this mounting area? Would they have acceptable fidelity? Any other suggestions?

[Chexi 35]

Rev 10s are incredible.  Rev 8s are very, very good, but less mid-bass than Rev 10s.  I had Rev 8s on my prior boat, and I could certainly hear them fine when wakeboarding 75' back.  They were definitely missing a little on the low end compared to Rev 10s.  If you can do Rev 10s, do it (note, they are the same size as most other mfg's 8" enclosures).  You only need a pair.  They certainly can fit on that tower.  A lot of Centurions with that tower came with Rev 10s from the dealer.

Also, I have 2 unopened new in box Wetsounds Syn4s.  Wetsounds closed them out a few months ago when I needed one.  At that time, I was considering replacing all 3 of my Roswell amps with the more powerful Wetsounds.  So far, I replaced only my tower speaker amp, so I may have one for sale (likely keeping one to use for my in-cabins).  In bridged mode, the Syn4 is a great amp to power Rev 8s or Rev10s, and until the very latest Wetsounds amps came out, I believe it was the amp of choice for that task.  PM me if you are interested.

Note, Wetsounds still has the Syn2 on closeout, but I do not see the Syn 4 listed.  The Syn 4 gives you 400 wpc for 2 speakers (in bridged mode) whereas the Syn2 give you only 200 wpc for 2 speakers.  On the other hand, the Syn 2  gives you the ability to bridge and get a massive 700 watts into a single channel for a sub.  I think this is why most people actually used the Syn 4 for speakers and the Syn 2 for a sub.

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

5 hours ago, byerman said:

1. Can an amp simply be plugged into the back of my stereo, mounted, and then run to new tower speakers?

For the audio signal.............yes. However, the amp need proper power cabling and a turn-on signal. 

5 hours ago, byerman said:

Now the kids want some tunes while they surf

If the size of the Rev-10 is an issue, then for a surf setup, you want to go with the Wet Sounds Icon-8. Same 8" size as the rev-8, but the Icon-8 is a traditional coaxial thats more ideal for surfing. 

With that said, yes the Rev-10 is a huge speaker, but id still consider them. Look at the mounting spots and consider the size.

 

Amp for Icon-8 - Syn-DX2

Amp for Rev-10 - Syn-DX4

[byerman 5]

Installed Rev 10's at the 10 and 2 position on the tower. DX-4 amp. 10 inch sub in the compartment below the receiver. It sounds great! I have not taken it on the water yet. Thanks for the suggestions.